Do nonhuman animals ever cry from sadness? Tears are useful for our eyes—as they are for many other animals. A lot of mammals, reptiles and birds have tear glands that secrete aqueous fluid.

While animals don't cry in the same emotional way humans do, many species are known to produce sounds or behaviors that can be interpreted as crying, often expressing distress, fear, or loneliness.

But animals don’t shed emotional tears when they cry. And for the first several weeks of their lives, neither do humans. Instead, similar to other animals, newborn babies produce a heartbreaking ...